


Room For Rent

by LiinHaglund



Category: Weiß Kreuz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, Living Together, Loneliness, M/M, Out of Character, Psychic Abilities, Retired Assassins, Roommates, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-19
Updated: 2012-04-19
Packaged: 2018-04-18 23:59:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4725095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiinHaglund/pseuds/LiinHaglund
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some people hate their enemies enough to gladly be the last person left alive on Earth.</p><p>Some people hate being alone more than they hate their enemies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OOC and not particularly canon. No rape, no excessive angst, because I'm tired of that always making an appearance.
> 
> Bite me.
> 
> Updated 2016-03-13: Divided story sections into chapters. Click "entire work" if you want to read it all in one go.

Schuldig hadn't been too fond of Schwarz disbanding. He had known for a while of course. Nobody keeps secrets from a telepath, not even the almighty Oracle. He had chewed out Crawford for it before it had happened, when it had happened and afterwards too, just for good measure. Of course, Oracle took orders from no one, so he had just patiently allowed Schuldig his fits of temper.

It felt oddly empty to not have the others around. Oddly empty to not have their thoughts to listen to. Familiar thoughts were soothing.

After the whole debacle with the Eszett Elders and the summoning, and Weiss and the red kitten's sister, Crawford had decided that enough was enough. He had disbanded the team.

Nagi had been a little peeved, but in the end the amount of money Crawford gave each of them shut him up and he went on his merry way. Schuldig was sure the kid was attending university, but where he hadn't bother to check. Nagi hadn't wanted to stay in contact with him. Not with the others either, but particularly not Schuldig.

Farfarello was in Europe, doing who knows what. Crawford was back in the US, probably to visit his ex-wife. There was a kid somewhere in that picture but Schuldig didn't care. He was only friendly with Farfarello for the job, and he knew Crawford didn't want them around now that he had scattered them. It had been Eszett who had bundled them all together anyway, well, except for Nagi.

They were all far away and none of them had called or tried to contact him in any way. It was expected and on par with the course. He was still in Tokyo. Alone.

It had been fun the first few weeks. No Crawford to pull on the breaks. Endless supplies of hapless victims. But then it grew dull without a purpose. He certainly didn't want to go back to Germany, where he had fuck all waiting for him. He liked Japan and he felt more at home in Tokyo than anywhere else.

If Crawford had seen him now, he would have had him admitted to a mental asylum. There he was, the great Mastermind, applying for a job like any other person. Waiting to be interviewed. His hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.

That was probably the greatest crime of all. He couldn't remember the last time he had made his hair look harmless. It normally defied all attempts at being controlled. Crawford had once said it contained his demon soul. Farfarello had scoffed and claimed redheads had no souls. No one ever appreciated him.

He needed something to do, and he had never had a normal job. That was what he told himself. It couldn't be very hard. The mindless sheep went to work every day. He certainly wasn't dumber than any of _them_. He was no genius either, but Mastermind was not dumb.

He rose up from the uncomfortable designer chair when his real name was called. It had been dusted off, because that asshole Crawford had written all his school diplomas using his real one rather than something made up. He hadn't even been to school since he was twelve. Why use his real name on fake diplomas?

Schuldig was a different person from Wilhelm. He hadn't been Wilhelm in so long he didn't even know who that was anymore. Probably someone boring. Weak. At twelve he had even been adverse to killing, which was just wrong.

He refrained from using telepathy while the recruiter asked him the standard questions to try to gauge how well he would fit the role. It was hard to stay away from doing it, but he decided he wasn't going to be outdone by some lowlife human with no talents. If they could, he could do it better.

He didn't worry about standing out. He was the only foreigner and he stood out like a sore thumb among all the dark haired Asians. They would remember him without any added flare on his part.

The worst part of that day was going back to his empty house. He had put it up for sale. Schwarz was gone, there was no need to cling to their old hideout. He had held out some foolish hope that they'd return, but it had been too many months and sentimentality was getting old.

He planned on looking for a new place to stay. Preferably with someone else, he hated being alone. The silence of an empty house was awful – the neighbors were suddenly too cheery, having dinner together while he ate alone. Telepaths did not thrive alone.

Schuldig frowned. It was all Crawford's fault.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Ran unlocked the door to the apartment and said a polite hello to Hibiki. The other man was always there at this time of day so he didn't bother to double check. He had learned the habits of his roommate in the first day. The paranoia and pathological need to spy on others were occupational hazards, habits he had not bothered to break.

They had gotten more and more used to each other, slowly becoming friends. Hibiki was the kind of guy who everyone loved and he loved everyone right back. It was easy to be lulled into it. It required very little effort, but Ran was careful not to get too loose lipped in case he said something to scare the civilian.

“Ah, my silent ghost,” Hibiki said with a smile. “It's a wonder how you can be so quiet with a sister that... lively.”

“She's making up for lost time,” Ran said with a smile and an eye roll. He adored the girl, but if she added one more activity to her schedule the day would need 30 hours. “Did you eat?”

Hibiki sighed. “Yes. At breakfast. When we last met? I hate being a law student sometimes.”

“How did you survive before I moved in?” Ran mumbled to himself.

“With great difficulty and a lot of help from my parents. I have maybe found another roommate for us.” Hibiki stashed away his textbooks and laptop. “There's a single mom with a kid and two foreigners who've called today.”

“Not too fond of kids,” Ran said hesitantly. It wasn't entirely true. He just never knew how to deal with them when they got emotional.

“The foreigners then. One is a student, kinda young and doesn't speak Japanese. The other is fluent and works. I think he's a little older than you, but not much. They both sounded nice. I think I'll meet them and see if they pan out.”

“Just make sure they're not wanted serial killers.”

“Yes mother,” Hibiki mocked. “You know this is the longest conversation we've had since you chewed me out for that party.”

“The party where I had to drag you out of jail?” Ran raised an eyebrow.

“You know I am eternally grateful and profusely ashamed.”

Ran shrugged. He started cooking dinner rather than chat. Hibiki was a nice guy, but he was a bit immature at times. Immature and in love with the US. Ran didn't mind that the whole apartment was decorated in a western style, but sometimes Hibiki brought home the weirdest things. “Why do we suddenly have dishtowels with the US flag?”

“I got them in the mail! My girlfriend sent them, she is flying in from Hong Kong soonish,” Hibiki said cheerfully.

“That's good,” Ran said, mostly because he wouldn't have to listen to the lamenting over long distance relationships.

“Yeah, you should bring Aya over to meet her, they could go shopping or something. She doesn't really have friends here and most Japanese don't like the Chinese.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Schuldig went to work for the ninety fourth time. He wasn't sure why he counted them. His office job wasn't exciting, but it was far from terminally boring. So far he had managed to make the CEO fuck the receptionist, driven the human resources lady stark raving mad, and convinced the cleaning crew to throw one of the ugly designer couches in the dumpster outside. Not to mention do his regular job. Never let it be said that he couldn't multi-task.

He said good morning in a slightly mechanical manner until he reached the lunch room. “Oh God, I've missed you,” he exclaimed happily and embraced the coffee machine. It was his one true friend in the place. It never judged and always gave him what he asked of it.

The mugs in the cabinet had the company logo. They were dull. The only thing that saved them from a random bout of destruction, like he had done with the boring couch, was that they could hold three double espressos from the machine.

“I'm not even sure he's human,” one of his colleagues muttered. They ranged from amusement to outright racist dislike in regards to him, but overall they were willing to give him a chance. At least as long as he delivered. He had had much worse work situations.

“Wife still forcing you to sleep on the couch?” Schuldig shot back. He was known for his sharp tongue almost as much as for his love of coffee. It wasn't his fault, if they thought nicer things he wouldn't have to be nasty. It gave him a rush sometimes, when people were genuinely nice to him. It enforced the idea that he had been alone too long. He took his prized coffee back to the office he shared with three others.

He was going to sacrifice his lunch break in favor of meeting a student who wanted another person to split rent with since large apartments in Tokyo were horrendously expensive. The guy had potential. He had better be worth spending the afternoon hungry, Schuldig decided, or he was going to be in a bad mood for days. He liked grudges. They offered so many possibilities.

There had been others, of course. He had tried a lot of people, but they didn't fit him. They were either too dull, or they had started out okay and then quickly gone downhill once he had read their minds.

He sat down at at his desk, sipping coffee and pondering the neat stacks. Everyone was neat here, so as soon as he walked through the door he felt their compulsions nag at him. Crawford would have fallen to the floor and died from shock if he had seen him.

“This just sucks,” he muttered. He was considering his notes and material from yesterday. The job was okay. He got to be creative, and he benefited from understanding humans so well. What sucked was the client.

“I may just have to rewire some neural pathways...” he told himself in German. After all, if the client didn't agree with him there was something wrong with the client. _He_ was perfect.

He smirked as he pictured Crawford slapping him. “Yeah, but you're not here,” he told his imaginary former team leader.

“Talking to yourself again?” One of his colleagues sighed in Japanese.

“That's how you get the best answers,” he said in the local language, “and in a superior language too.”

“You know you sound different? You pitch your voice lower when you speak in foreign.”

“Everybody does that. If you speak more than one language fluently you shift your voice a little in each. They have different flows so it's only natural.” To prove his point Schuldig said a sentence in English followed by Mandarin.

“How many languages do you speak?” his colleague asked curiously.

“A few,” Schuldig said with a shrug. “Did you need help with your project?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, if it is not too much trouble for you.”

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Ran absently listened to Hibiki chatter about their new roommate. Apparently he had decided on one of the foreigners.

“Ran, you're not listening,” Hibiki complained. “I'm trying to tell you about a person you'll be seeing a lot of...”

“Works in advertising, European, asked you about pets,” Ran rattled off. “I get it, you're excited.”

“But you're not. Come on, you can meet him after you get off your barhopping shift and we're all awake. He's bringing his stuff tonight so you'll miss him since you have no sense of what normal hours are.”

Ran sighed. He was a little excited, but he would never admit to it. Excluding Schwarz and their creepy organization, he liked to meet people from different cultures. It was just that he liked peace and quiet too, and foreigners were often loud. “Is it my fault the only available job was a bartender gig?”

“You've stayed and you haven't been looking for new jobs. Just admit that you like it there.”

He slouched down a little more in the couch. “So, it's not as bad as I originally thought.”

Hibiki grinned. “Suits me fine, I always know where to go. Girlfriend doesn't get jealous since there's no women there!”

Ran smirked. “Yeah, yeah.”

“It'll be fine, you'll see. Just give the new guy a chance.”

“Fine,” he agreed. “I should go,” he realized. He sort of didn't want to. He was comfortable in the couch and his job would be a never-ending stream of flirty guys. Reluctantly he rose up.

Ran nodded his head in a goodbye gesture to Hibiki, picked up his keys and left. He took his car to work. Tokyo was built around public transportation, not cars, but with the hours he worked it was better than trying to catch a train. He wanted to have the freedom to just leave.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

“Have you been to university?” Hibiki asked. He was making a simple breakfast for everyone.

Schuldig had chosen to go with Hibiki because he was so alive. He needed that, but the kid was also annoyingly cheerful. _Normal_ , Schuldig reminded himself. He could use cheering up. His thoughts were fine. Not a doormat, but not just after money either.

“Yes,” he said, because his fake diplomas all said so, “I took a few courses. I was at an American university, though. I learned that being a student had nothing to do with learning things and everything to do with exploring the many weird situations you can find yourself in after a night of drinking tequila.”

“I suppose it's different here for you,” Hibiki said it as a statement, but there was a question under it, so Schuldig nodded. “Your Japanese is perfect. Have you been here long?”

“A few years. I've traveled a bit, but I have been living in Tokyo most of the year.” He didn't mention how he hated traveling. He hated airports. Sometimes the only thing that kept him from kneeling down and throwing up until he passed out was loud music and drugs.

It was mostly the cramped crowds in airports and at bigger train stations. So many stressed minds made him feel like he had gotten physically punched until he could find a calm one to cling to. Crawford had never been any help, he kept his slippery shields up at all times.

He was a licensed pilot, and going fast was no problem. In fact he enjoyed that. If it wasn't for the mindless masses he would probably travel more.

“My ghost will be here soon, he had to stay later today. Don't worry if he doesn't say much, he's kinda introverted,” Hibiki changed the subject when Schuldig quieted. “It took two months before the guy spoke in whole sentences, but I think he just was a little depressed. He has much more personality these days.”

Schuldig listened to his new roommate talk about his other roommate. He hadn't met the other guy, some bartender who was his age. Their age, Hibiki seemed younger to him because he was so carefree. He hadn't cared. Hibiki's bright personality would make up for a lot. And how bad could a bartender be? They were usually interesting people.

“How do you guys do with sharing food? And chores?” Schuldig asked. He didn't want to pick at the kid's brain too much, it was nice to finally have someone to talk to. Someone he could complain to about mundane issues at work. He would have to lie and keep things hidden from him, which he didn't much enjoy since the truth always hurt people more, but it was better than being alone.

Hibiki stopped to think. “We just ended up taking a week each. If it's my food week I cook dinner and shop for groceries. Or buy takeaway. If it's not my week I clean and do the dishes.” A sandwich and tea appeared in front of Schuldig. “You're on your own for lunch and breakfast.”

“So, you guys share everything?”

“Yes. I guess,” Hibiki laughed. “Will that bother you? We could clear out a shelf if you want your own stuff? Otherwise just buy groceries on your week. The other guy doesn't mess around, he'll remind you if you forget.”

Schuldig thought about it. Schwarz had lived together for years, but living with civilians always seemed so different. It wasn't a matter about someone ordering them to share and get along, this had an air of an effortlessness that was based on a will to make life easier for the other. “It's not what I'm used to,” he admitted. “We can try it your way and see how things work.”

Hibiki nodded. “Let us know, it has to work for you too.”

“I will.” They would learn soon enough that he wasn't a pushover. If he had opinions he would always voice them.

The front door opened and closed. Hibiki turned towards the noise of someone removing their shoes. “Hey, Ran, breakfast!”

Schuldig felt his skin crawl, but what were the fucking odds? Maybe it was Ren and not Ran, and he was just paranoid?

“Can I shower first?”

Was it the same voice? It had been a while.

“ _No_ , you're fine,” Hibiki whined, “come meet my newest pet. He has blue eyes. You'll like him.”

He cursed low in German when the man came into the small kitchen.

“What are you playing at now?” he was asked. In. German. When had the kitten learned his language? He knew for a fact none of them had known German when he had first met them.

Schuldig knew he had very little time before something violent happened, so he went for the truth. “We disbanded, I'm just a civilian these days.”

Ran seemed to take that at face value, but he still had that look that said in no uncertain terms that he was figuring out the most painful way to kill Schuldig. Telepathy was not needed to confirm. “And you just happened to end up here?”

“Listen, I haven't seen the others in over a year, and I haven't heard a whisper from whatever is left of Eszett either.” Schuldig kept his voice calm. They both did. “I even pay taxes.”

While Ran hesitated Schuldig tried to sift through his thoughts, but was only rewarded with a glare.

“So,” Hibiki looked between them with a confused expression, “you guys have met before?”

Schuldig switched back to Japanese, “yes, we worked for rival companies. It's just... a small world sometimes.” He plastered on a friendly expression. Friendlier, at least.

Hibiki brightened. “I can tell you two don't like each other, but I like both of you and I will make sure you get along.” They both started objecting to that, but Hibiki waved them off. “No. I have decided. You will be friends one day and you'll thank me for it.”

Schuldig considered the option to remove the most recent memories of him from both their minds and walk away. He'd never get inside Ran's head quick enough. He had gotten used to noticing Schuldig's tricks quickly. Today was not a good day to die. “Peace?”

“Alright, we'll try,” Ran sighed.

Schuldig raised a brow. “You've changed,” he muttered in German.

“I can always kill you in your sleep,” Ran replied casually in the same language while sipping the tea Hibiki had poured for him.

Schuldig didn't like that, but he had lived under the same roof as Farfarello for years. A vague death threat was nothing he hadn't heard before. He suppressed the sigh that almost escaped and started eating.

He would have to call his boss and ask for different work hours. No way was he sleeping while Fujimiya was awake. He wasn't dumb enough to believe in his own propaganda. He was not invincible and the kitten had claws. It would take him time to find a new place too.

 

* * *

 

Ran spent most of the day asleep. According to Hibiki he worked permanent evenings and nights, so he was always asleep during the days.

When it was time for dinner Ran was awake and more cautious than hostile. He dressed differently from how Schuldig remembered, but it could have something to do with going from florist to bartender.

“Guys, come here and help me make a chore list!” Hibiki called. “I feel short,” he said when they were all standing in the kitchen.

“You are short,” Schuldig said.

Hibiki made a face at him. He was a little less than a head shorter than both Ran and himself. Not that they were very tall, in Europe Schuldig was considered average height.

“Can we settle the schedule and get on with things?” Ran asked.

“Don't be pissy, everything will be awesome, you'll see.” Hibiki waved the paper he was writing on. “So, I had an idea. Three week rotation. Me, Ran, Wilhelm for food. Ran, Wilhelm, me for cleaning. One week off for all of us, but everyone is responsible for their own rooms.”

Schuldig shrugged.

“That's fine,” Ran said.

Hibiki went over a few more things, like how much he and Ran normally spent on a weeks worth of food, that they needed to swap numbers and other boring things. Schuldig felt a bit like he was on a new team, which was of course ridiculous.

He programmed Ran's number in with a cat emoji instead of a name.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Ran avoided Schuldig as much as he could, and the German did the same. They were cautiously polite when they occasionally saw each other, mostly to appease the eternally hopeful Hibiki. Ran was relieved that Hibiki got along with both of them, and that Schuldig seemed to genuinely want to be nice to him.

Schuldig had pulled him aside the first day and told him not to tell Hibiki the truth. Like he was stupid enough to try that. He didn't want Hibiki dragged into the darkness that lurked underneath the everyday lives of everyday people.

Hibiki often told them of what the other was up to. Always positive things, to prove that they were being silly. All Ran heard was all the good things the German did, and he wanted nothing more than to counter with what the man was truly gifted at doing with his time.

He never did. First and foremost because Hibiki wasn't the type of person who would ever willingly believe in supernatural abilities. Secondly, he could handle Mastermind.

To his great dismay and misfortune Aya adored Schuldig. She had stopped by to meet him one day and Schuldig had entertained her while she was waiting for him to get home. She and Hibiki had joined forces to make them “kiss and make up”.

It was a nightmare, and the only thing that made it bearable was that it seemed to bother Schuldig as much as it bothered him. Sometimes he was tempted to offer the other guy a beer and complain about it behind Hibiki's back, but that would mean that the dark side was winning.

He unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside as quietly as he could. It was early in the morning and he had just done a long shift, the other two should be asleep. After locking the door and toeing his shoes off he put his slippers on and padded towards the bathroom. He hated smelling like an ashtray, but there was nothing for it.

When he was showered and had changed into more comfortable clothes he went to eat. He never had time during his shifts and he would wake up hungry if he didn't. The downside to this habit was that he had to share the kitchen with Schuldig, who somehow always got up while he was in the shower. Usually quickly. Ran often saw him balancing precariously in the hallway while toeing off slippers and slipping on shoes, with a piece of toast between his teeth and a travel mug of coffee in one hand. Often tired. If it had been anyone else, it would have been cute.

“Do you really need to be up this early, or is it just to torment me?” he muttered when he noticed a more tired than normal foreigner set up the coffeemaker. He had apparently failed the first time, since this looked like a second attempt.

“I thought you were serious when you said you'd kill me in my sleep,” Schuldig said sleepily. “I had them give me an early shift and it's really nice to have afternoons off.”

“You're not worth the jail time,” Ran muttered.

Schuldig slammed a cupboard closed. Ran turned to him. He hadn't expected the other man to react, let alone to care. “Shut up,” Schuldig whispered through tight jaws. He was staring at the coffeemaker.

“Are you really pretending to care about what I think of you?” Ran asked, genuinely curious.

Schuldig shrugged sullenly. Ran took his mood as a hint and continued cooking.

“Why are you making so much?” Schuldig finally caved in and asked. If there was one thing you could always rely on it was that Schuldig would talk sooner rather than later. Ran sometimes wondered if he even knew what silence was.

“Hibiki isn't much of a cook and you only make toast,” Ran answered blandly. He wasn't too sure himself why he cooked extra for them, but they always ate it if he left it in the fridge.

“I can make German food,” Schuldig said defensively. “Why do you speak German?”

“Kritiker made me learn a lot of languages when they realized I had a knack for it,” Ran answered. “I wasn't meant to be in a lethal unit. You can bring some to work with you if you want. It's not poisoned.”

Schuldig mellowed a little at the offer of food and shrugged. Ran thought he was strange, but then he didn't know the other man at all. They knew each other as Mastermind and Abyssinian, not as civilians.

“Do you have time to eat or do you just want something to go?”

“I have an hour before I have to leave,” Schuldig reluctantly admitted.

Ran shook his head. “Stay and eat then.”

Schuldig nodded. “Maybe Hibiki has a point. I'm not saying we should forget everything that happened before and be best friends, but it'd be nice if we could be neutral. I know what goes on in your head. I have to listen to insults whether you voice them or not.” Ran was about to reply to it when Schuldig cut in. “No, I'm not saying I haven't earned it. You're no saint yourself. I did my job and I am damned fucking good at what I do. It just so happens that my job description is – _was_ mostly made up of mind games.”

“Okay. I still don't think it's a good idea.”

“Is it because of Sakura and your sister?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“I don't trust you not to have some hidden motive.”

“Yeah, okay,” Schuldig muttered. “I don't trust you either. You're crazy enough to go after one of the richest families in Japan, you're crazy enough to kill me in my sleep.”

“Sure. Sanity wasn't exactly promoted in Kritiker.” Ran plated two portions and fit the rest into a plastic container. “I don't like killing, but I don't necessarily avoid it if I have to do it.”

Schuldig shrugged and took one of the plates to the table. Ran followed with his own plate.

Hibiki had stocked a drawer with foreign cutlery, but Schuldig always seemed to pick chop sticks if they did.

 

* * *

 

It took a few mornings before Ran felt like there actually was a truce. Schuldig never did anything more hostile than occasionally cursing the coffeemaker, and it was becoming familiar to see the foreigner around meals.

Most of what Schuldig said were complaints or stories from his job. Sometimes Ran wondered if he even cared who he spoke to as long as he could talk.

On the occasion when Schuldig prepared breakfast for both of them he would make foreign food.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Schuldig lounged in the living room after a long day at work. His mind was too active to relax, but he didn't know what he wanted to do. He was watching the news to distract himself. He liked the living room. There were two comfy couches where he more often than not ended up with Hibiki. Sometimes he fell asleep in one, only to be poked awake when Hibiki went to bed himself.

It was Friday and Hibiki wanted him to come along to Ran's job and have a few drinks. He was tempted, just to see the kitten bristle. Ran would likely just ignore him, though. Hibiki was busy picking out an outfit to wear, occasionally coming out to ask his opinion.

There was something bothering him, and he wasn't sure what. He frowned at the news anchor while he turned the feeling over like it was a puzzle cube. He wanted to know what it was connected to since things were actually better now. He and Ran had a somewhat pleasant breakfast each day even if they never interacted much outside of that. Ran was tolerant to his absentminded episodes and, unlike Hibiki, didn't try to shake him or shout until he returned to the immediate surroundings. Ran simply waited, but Ran knew of his gift. Hibiki didn't. Hibiki would react poorly to being told the truth.

He had thought he could have had more of a connection to Hibiki, but Ran was always at the forefront of his mind. His gift had always liked the other redhead. It drew him to the other man, even though he disliked it.

“Wilhelm,” Hibiki called, “stop moping and come on.”

Maybe a few beers would perk him up. “Fine.”

Hibiki had called a cab ahead of time. He reasoned that they could hitch a ride with Ran home, but Schuldig was more inclined to walk home if need be, or brave the metro. Not that he minded Ran's car. It wasn't the car's fault its owner had a white knight complex.

“What is this place, anyway?” Schuldig asked when they were on their way.

“You'll see,” Hibiki grinned. “It's casual, good music, more like a club than a bar.”

Hibiki was never really quiet. He was too full of energy. Schuldig could see why Ran would open up to him. He was a good kid, easy to like even if he was naive in some areas of life. They spent the cab ride chatting about nothing, one of those pleasant little chats that would be forgotten as soon as it was over.

There were more bars and clubs around the area, different beats could be heard through walls and open doors. Not a popular neighborhood, somewhere in-between shabby and well kept with just enough going for it to be saved from becoming a slum.

The bouncer just nodded that they could pass through when Hibiki smiled and said hello. Schuldig looked at the decorations while they walked inside. He hadn't expected goth decor and heavy metal, but he was more willing to give the place a chance suddenly. It wasn't cramped, but there was a crowd.

He was still wearing his suit from that day's shift at work, and he was admittedly slightly overdressed. Most of the patrons were in leather pants or torn jeans, with a wide variety of shirts. He spotted a few mohawks and some girl in pink hair and a lolita dress. He scanned the crowd again. There was a definite lack of females, he noted, but Heavy Metal was very male dominated as a scene anyway. At least it wasn't J-pop.

Hibiki lead them straight to the bar. The music was quieter around the bar itself. Just low enough that screaming to be heard wasn't necessary.

Schuldig muttered under his breath when he spotted the clawed kitten chatting with Ran. Apparently Hibiki knew Ken, because he gave him a warm greeting and happily announced he had someone Ken should meet. A quick glance at Ran's thoughts told Schuldig this could turn ugly. He looked over to see Ran giving him a subtle hand signal that Ken would attack.

Ken wasn't Ran's closest friend, but they had worked together long enough for them to be close. There should be no incentive to protect Schuldig. He turned his eyes to Ken instead of mulling over why the red kitty was attempting to keep him from being hurt. It was probably all about Hibiki anyway. It wasn't like anyone had cared about Schuldig as a person for years. At least not since before his parents had grown too wary of his telepathy and sadistic streak.

He was jealous of it, he realized. Nothing revolved around him. They were both hovering over Hibiki.

“This is our new roommate,” Hibiki said happily and indicated him with a hand movement.

If he hadn't expected it, the punch would have landed. As it was he easily danced away with a smirk.

“Ken!” Hibiki shouted. He stepped between them with his arms out. “What is wrong with you?”

“Hidaka, sit,” Ran ordered. He seemed to know just how loud to talk so that he was heard by them, but not every single patron in the place.

And like a good dog, the boy did.

Schuldig bit the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing. Ran still considered himself above the other three in rank. “Nice to meet you too,” he commented when he thought he could mask the sarcasm to some minor degree.

Hibiki was upset, but he breathed a heavy sigh when Ken had sat down and did the same. “The florist business must be more competitive than I was told,” he muttered.

Schuldig sat down so that Hibiki was between him and Ken. “You have no idea.”

Ran had moved away to serve a group of barely legal kids with too many piercings. He was glancing back every so often to make sure they behaved.

“What are you doing here, Schuldich?” Ken growled.

“My friend dragged me along,” Schuldig answered innocently.

“Why do you all hate him? He's really nice,” Hibiki pouted. “You shouldn't be so full of negative energy, Ken!”

Ken looked skeptical. “Ran, I think the asshole brainwashed him.”

“No, you can see it in their eyes when he's doing that.”

“No, _you_ can see it, not the others,” Schuldig corrected mildly. He wasn't some second-rate telepath, he knew his shit. Most people never saw him coming. It was annoying that one of the kitties could tell. Ran picked up on a lot of things for a normal.

“Guys,” Hibiki held his hands up, “you're talking nonsense.”

“Sorry,” Schuldig said. “Let's talk about something fun. When is your girlfriend flying in to see you?”

A beer appeared in front of him, while the other two got some type of hard liquor. Hibiki chattered about his girlfriend almost aggressively just to break the mood. He listened with half an ear as he tasted the beer. Ran had picked a good one. He was a little surprised at that, but then a lot of people drank beer in Japan.

He absently kept Hibiki talking about mundane things. It wasn't hard. He wasn't socially challenged like Ran, and he wasn't a two topic guy like Ken.

The lack of female patrons started to seriously poke at Schuldig's brain, but alcohol and telepathy didn't go together. “Don't you miss the girls from the shop?” he asked Ran semi-casually when Ken and Hibiki, predictably, went on to talk sports. Probably the one topic in the world that bored him quicker than anything else.

Ran shook his head. “Nope, one more reason I've stayed here is that there are no annoying schoolgirls.”

Schuldig gave him a serious look and held up the nearly empty beer. “I can't focus enough when I drink. What I'm trying to ask is -”

Ran walked away. He collected some empty glasses and sold some booze. Schuldig didn't even care to be offended. He knew Ran planned to answer once he got over being an ass. Other people simply saw him as rude, which he fucking was, but Schuldig knew Ran had no idea how to interact. As if he had been raised in the wild, or something. Even if he was getting less awkward he was still not comfortable the way Schuldig or Hibiki was around other people.

“Yes, Schuldig, you're in a gay club,” Ran confirmed when he had a lull in customers. He spoke quietly. “It's why it's so slow here. The owner isn't strict about it, but considering my bartending skills when I started I wasn't offered the job because of my resume.”

Schuldig shrugged. He was offered a lot of things because he looked good himself. He wasn't adverse to taking advantage of his gifts.

“Suffice to say, Youji never drops by. He had a go at one of the trannies before he realized, but since then he has refused to come. Ken hasn't figured it out yet, he just thinks women don't like the music.”

“And Hibiki is just too friendly to care?”

Ran shrugged. “He even manages to like you.”

“Ouch,” Schuldig grinned even though he wasn't too fond of the jab. He shook is empty glass for a refill. “We have to do something about that hostility of yours.”

Ran took the glass and refilled it. “Habit.”

Being used to Crawford had the added advantage of never expecting apologies. Schuldig missed his team, but he didn't really miss all their drama. Unlike Crawford, Ran looked chagrined when called out.

“Do I get a kiss?” Ran nearly dropped a glass and Schuldig snickered.

“Why?”

“I can't focus, but they're always there. You're always there. And when you're mean you have to kiss to make it up.”

Ran cursed under his breath and walked to the other end of the bar, as if that kind of minor distance made a difference. Schuldig could see that he wasn't bothered, not as much as he could be. When the kitten had cooled his temper down and came back Schuldig had finished his second beer.

An older guy sitting next to him seemed interested in the exchange between them. The kissing part anyway. “If you manage to get a kiss from him I'll buy your drinks for the rest of the evening.”

“Come on, Ran, help me get free drinks,” Schuldig needled. “No tricks, no biting, just a kiss. A little make out to make up?”

The place livened up when a band got up on the small stage. Everyone lost interest in the bar. Ran nodded for him to come around, thinking it was safe enough. Schuldig gave the older man next to him a friendly pat on the shoulder and quickly walked around to where Ran was standing with his arms crossed.

He grabbed the kitten's wrists and lightly held them, but he was ready if Ran decided to fight. Even if the attraction was there, it didn't mean there wouldn't be a fight. This was Fujimiya, after all. When he stepped close enough for their breaths to mingle the world seemed to die down, but they were both too focused to the other to really notice.

Schuldig let go of Ran's wrists so he could cup his face and close the gap. Ran opened to him as soon as their lips touched. One of Ran's hands tangled in his hair, but not to pull him away. Their tongues were equally interested in being the dominant one, and Schuldig suddenly liked that they were so similar in height and build.

And he wanted to be alone. Not in a bar, not with an audience, alone. Because this had so much potential if they could bury the hatchet. Ran was attracted to him even though he didn't like him, not yet anyway.

He could, though. Schuldig could taste it in his mind. He sucked on the Kitten's lower lip and rested his forehead against Ran's. He gently stroked his face and waited until Ran opened his eyes, then he kissed him again, a soft kiss with no tongue involved.

They both started and snapped out of their private little bubble when Ken screamed something that sounded like “you little shit” and threw a tumbler at them. Schuldig pulled Ran down so the projectile wouldn't hit either of them. He wanted to hold his kitten and he was reluctant to let go.

He knew once he did let go he would be back to being an old nemesis in Ran's eyes and not just a guy he had just made out with. With a sigh he let go anyway. “Wouldn't mind doing that again,” he said with a smile.

“Just go sit down,” Ran said.

Schuldig shrugged. Ken growled when he walked past, and Schuldig felt his pleased smile transforming into a cocky smirk in response. “Jealous, ball boy?”

“You sick fuck, what are you playing at now?” Ken nearly shouted.

“Nothing. I just decided I wanted a kiss.” Schuldig licked at his lips more to taste than to mock, but Ken looked about ready to tear out his internal organs and play with them. “He's a good kisser.”

“How about we move on to the musical entertainment?” A voice over the speakers sounded. Schuldig realized then that the old guy, Ken and Hibiki weren't the only ones who had watched.

He laughed and bowed to the rest of the patrons in the room. When he looked over to Ran the Kitten was just glaring daggers at the world in general. Fairly standard Fujimyia behavior, all things considered.

The band played covers. They weren't bad, but they weren't fantastic either.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Ran drove his two roommates back after his shift ended. It was a quiet drive, if somewhat slow with traffic at times being thick. He was reluctant to admit it, but Schuldig was growing on him. If they hadn't met as enemies first he would have liked him for the simple fact that he could beat Shion in a drinking game.

He wasn't too sure about the kiss. It had been nice, and surprisingly sweet, but he wasn't sure it had changed his view of the other man at all. Schuldig was forever playing his games and being caught in his web of lies could only end badly.

He parked in the garage under the apartment building and shook Hibiki awake. He was drunk enough to be sleepy but not trashed. Once he was out of the car himself he opened the back door to wake up Schuldig too, but that seemed a lost cause. Ran knew that if Schuldig had the same tolerance to alcohol he did the other man would still be drunk until noon. Hopefully he'd sleep through it. Ran wasn't keen on finding out what kind of trouble a drunk telepath could cause.

One of them would have to carry him, because there was no way he would be able to justify leaving the German behind to Hibiki. If Ran was right then he and Schudig were about the same weight – they were practically the same height and he knew they had the same size in clothes thanks to Hibiki's endless talking. He also knew from his own observations that they only differed one size in shoes but that was largely irrelevant.

Hibiki was a regular guy who jogged once a week, there was no way he could carry another man to the elevator. Ran sighed and unbuckled the German. He didn't just toss him over a shoulder since Hibiki would be seriously offended, even drunk, but instead carried him bridal style. If he had laid off on his exercise routine he would have had trouble, but as it was he managed the short distance without any real problems.

Hibiki was kind enough to hold all doors open for him. “Don't bump his head,” he reminded time and time again.

It was the first time he was in the German's room and it wasn't how he had expected it. Schuldig was a colorful character, but the room showed none of it. He lowered Schuldig on the bed and arranged the dead weight, lastly taking his shoes off, but that was the extent of his generosity.

The guy was off the enemy list, if just barely, but he still wasn't Ran's friend.

He took a quick shower, double checked that the apartment door was locked and then passed out in his own bed. For once food would have to wait.

When he woke up ten hours later it was because he was hungry. He wasn't sure just when he had started sleeping in, but he found he had much more free time with just one job to worry about. He hadn't expected the others to be up yet, but Schuldig was in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee and poking a wound. The visible injuries included a split lip and a black eye. There was a bit of blood on him, but it didn't look serious enough to be fatal. It was barely dry though.

“You look like shit,” Ran noted without much sympathy.

“I know,” Schuldig said quietly, his voice a little hoarse. He didn't slur, but he was not completely sober.

“How did this happen?” Ran asked a little softer. His thoughts strayed to Ken, but to his knowledge Ken had been too drunk to manage to get a drop on anyone. Even drunk Schuldig had more grace than Ken.

“I got homesick,” Schuldig said reluctantly. “Woke up and tried to get in touch with the others and this,” he pointed to his face, “is Crawford's way of telling me that drunk dialing him again will be a bad idea.”

Ran didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. Schuldig looked miserable enough to make him feel sorry for the foreigner, which was dangerous enough on its own.

“He flew in just to beat me up, isn't that something? My bad luck that he was in China on business. I guess I should take a new IQ test since I agreed to meet him at the airport too,” Schuldig laughed bitterly. “And then there's you. You talk to Balinese on the phone, Siberian comes by your job to say hello and you write to Bombay.”

“Ah. So you being lonely is why you wanted roommates. Why is Oracle so opposed to keeping in contact?” In a way he could relate to that.

Schuldig tried to stand, but wobbled and sat down again with a curse. “We're more business acquaintances than actual friends. Oracle is a secretive little shit,” Schuldig admitted when it became clear he couldn't just run off to avoid answering. “I don't know. It's not like team leaders ask for a telepath if they don't have shields strong enough to keep one out.”

Ran sighed and got some medical supplies out that he had stashed in the kitchen. Schuldig seemed sober enough, but he wasn't in any shape to take care of his wounds. He had probably gotten home on adrenaline.

The German was more than wiling to allow himself to be patched up. Ran had little trouble checking him over. He knew from personal experience what Oracle normally went for.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Schuldig had been surprised when Ran had patched him up. It made him wonder how far he could play the sympathy card. He didn't want to ruin the fragile peace by being too annoying, but he wanted more pampering.

“I know that look,” Ran chided from his spot across the table. Schuldig felt strongly that, no, he didn't know anything about that look. Brad did though, and he usually said something similar.

“Make me food?”

“I'm suddenly not hungry.”

“I don't care about you. You don't rank above food in my book,” he shot back.

Ran laughed at the flawed logic Schuldig was presenting. Schuldig decided that it was a good sign.

“Feed me.”

Ran seemed to debate it, but he was stubborn. “Feed yourself.”

He pouted. “Can I have a hug then?”

“You do realize you make no sense what so ever?”

Schuldig shrugged. He felt like tormenting Ran, but he also didn't. He felt alone and he didn't like it. He made a split second decision and reached out with his gift to link with the other redhead. Then he pushed over what he felt. What he thought. And regretted it as soon as he had done it. He was good at making plans, but by nature he was impulsive.

Ran frowned at him. He took the time to digest everything, which wasn't something people normally did. At least, not when they knew who they were dealing with.

Schuldig knew he should let the link go. Brad had made him cut all their links when he had disbanded the team. It had thrown him for a loop the first days to not have them there. It felt nice to have one after so long, so he decided to leave it for now. It didn't matter, did it? It wasn't like they were still on opposing teams.

“You are so much more work than you're worth,” Ran muttered. “What did you do?”

“Oh, please. You have no idea what a telepath of my caliber is worth.” Schuldig rolled his eyes. “I shoved some thoughts at you.”

“No shit, Sherlock? The other thing.” Ran looked searchingly at him.

Schuldig checked the link again. “It's a link.” He touched it with his gift to make it more obvious, watching Ran shiver a little.

“Why are we linked?”

Schuldig drew patterns on the table with a finger. He shrugged. He didn't feel like telling the kitten that it was almost like a mental version of hand holding combined with adding someone's number to a phone's address book. He wasn't normally so pathetic that he needed to cling to people like a wet rag.

He was in the mood for some pampering and some hot food.

Ran eventually started cooking instead of trying to figure Schuldig out. Apparently he was done being stubborn. Schuldig sighed and slumped over the table with his head resting on his forearms. He hurt everywhere and he felt like he should just curl up and sleep it off.

But, food.

“Can you take painkillers?” Ran asked.

“Sure, they're just useless. It's a side-effect, or something, placebo works better than the actual pills unless I take the really strong ones. If I'm knocked out I don't feel pain.”

He zoned out enough that there was a large mug of miso in front of him when he next was aware of his surroundings.

He still wanted a hug dammit.

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Ran had met his sister downtown to catch up and spend some time. It was late afternoon when he returned home, feeling a little happier than normal and content with life. The first thing he noticed was that Hibiki and Schuldig were arguing in the living room. He was pretty sure that was the first time. They had always gotten along before.

Loathe as he was to admit it, Schuldig was easy to get along with. He didn't make much noise aside from talking constantly and he always cleaned up after himself. He needed no prompting to do chores and he was thorough.

Schuldig was sitting in one of the couches in a mildly defensive pose. Hibiki was pacing with a scowl that didn't fit his normally bright personality at all. Ran leaned on the door frame and watched them.

Schuldig locked eyes with him as soon as he saw him. He almost looked relieved. Ran didn't know how to feel about that logically, but subconsciously he felt the need to protect the injured man. He had patched him up, and that made him feel a little responsible for his healing process. Life had been much simpler once. Black and white with no gray.

“Ran!” Hibiki walked towards him. “Tell him to go to the hospital! He's got a broken rib.”

“Fractured, I checked before. It'll be fine,” Ran said monotonously. “Just don't tackle him.”

“You're not a doctor, Ran!” Hibiki complained. “What if he makes it worse?”

“He knows more about this than most emergency room nurses, so shut it,” Schuldig snapped. Ran saw on his face how short his temper was. His eyes weren't hiding anything. Pain had a tendency to do that.

“Did you sleep any?”

Schuldig shook his head. Ran felt him touch the link, but he didn't do anything else. He wondered idly if it soothed the telepath.

“He needs to go to a hospital,” Hibiki stubbornly said again.

“Stop it,” Ran told him firmly. “He doesn't want to. It's not a big deal, they'll just tell him to tough it out anyway.”

Hibiki scowled at them both and then stormed off to his bedroom.

“Are you working tonight?” Shuldig asked quietly.

Ran nodded. He would have to leave in a few minutes. He just needed to get his tank top with the club logo on it and put on a belt or two. There was a dress code, but it mimicked the patrons. Tight clothes, studs, belts, buckles and preferably dark colors.

“Let me sleep in your room, I'd rather not get dragged away to some random doctor when you leave.”

“Sure, but you need to realize that he's a civilian, not a retard. If you're not in your room he'll check the others. He's clearly worried about you.”

Schuldig fisted his hair and growled. “There is a doctor I can see but he's an asshole and I hate his guts. Not to mention these are all too minor to really warrant a visit. Not like Brad doesn't know not to hurt me too badly. I don't exactly have normal blood values, going to an ER would just get me submitted indefinitely for not fitting their version of healthy.”

“Come with me to the bar,” Ran whispered, not sure why. “The back room we use for breaks is pretty quiet. There's no bed but there's a couch.”

Schuldig nodded and got up.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

“Not that it's my business, but are you and Ran...?” the owner asked.

He had kept Schuldig company for a while, playing cards. It was an okay guy, one he vaguely remembered having a drinking contest with. His head hurt too much to use his gift to confirm it, and he was sore and achy all over. The man seemed to take his short temper in stride.

“No, we're just roommates,” Schuldig said. He sucked a little on his swollen lip. He had kissed Ran.

“He's sweet towards you. Most of his friends he treats like employees. Except that fellow Hibiki. He seems friendly enough towards the kid.”

“You're delusional. He hates me.”

The middle-aged man snickered. “Nah, listen here boy, I have seen my fair share of relationships. Ran likes you. He certainly gets enough people asking for a kiss or two and you're the only one so far to get one.”

Schuldig still thought the man was inclined to see things that weren't there. He shook his head but didn't argue further. “Why did you hire him?”

“Are you kidding? He's cute. People come just to ogle him. Not the best bartender I've hired, but he's willing to learn. I thought he was straight at first since he was so clipped and short with everyone, but that's Ran for you.”

“What happened to the last one?”

“He was rude.”

Schuldig snorted. “So you went for Ran? He's not at all rude himself...”

“Ran is very to the point, if you're buying things from him, he's civil enough. It's the flirts and the ones picking fights he's short with. The old one started hating what he was doing so he was an ass to everyone and people stopped coming. I had to put in an ad in the paper and on the web that we had changed the barman before some regulars came back.”

“Why not go for someone already trained then?”

“I was going to. Ran applied for security, not bartender. I'd feel weird having him at the door alone. He could probably handle himself, but... who knows. I feel a little protective I guess. I will never have kids so I adopt people.”

Schuldig shrugged. He tossed his cards down when the older man showed his hand. He was no good when he couldn't cheat.

“He never laughs with his other friends, but he laughs with you. I don't think he hates you.” The man collected all the cards and shuffled the deck. “He doesn't even hate me, and we have a history. Albeit not a romantic one.”

“Oh?”

“I'll tell you one day. I think it's about time to close up now.”

The man left and Ran came to pick him up half an hour later. Schuldig was beyond tired, but he wanted to sleep in a bed. His own bed. He severely disliked other people's beds. Who knew what they did there or when they last washed the sheets?

Actually, no, he did know and that was why he disliked it.

They stopped on the way back to buy medical supplies and re-bandage some of his wounds. Ran used a lot of disinfectant. His sluggish brain didn't connect the dots until they were home and Ran said a “happy now?” to Hibiki who was up waiting for them.

Manipulative.

Schuldig approved.

“I'm glad you went to the hospital, sorry for arguing,” Hibiki said and went to bed. He was very clearly relieved.

Schuldig wanted to laugh, but that would hurt too much. He must have passed out as soon as he was in bed and then slept for a long time because Ran came to wake him up just before Sunday night became Monday morning. He was sitting on the edge of Schuldig's bed, smelling like cigarettes. Schuldig realized he must have been out for a long while. He groaned miserably. “I've really been out a day?”

Ran nodded silently. “Almost. It's just 11 PM. We close early Sundays. You were crying before, that's why I woke you.”

Schuldig shrugged. Most of his nightmares weren't his. “Probably the neighbors. The girl that lives underneath just got dumped and she's on the rag.”

Ran raised an eyebrow at it.

Schuldig mimicked the gesture. “Out of sight doesn't mean out of mind. Come,” he patted the bed. “I'm awake and I'm not causing trouble. This should warrant a snuggle.”

“How do people stand you?” Ran asked, but he was a good boy and did as he had been told.

“I could ask you that,” Schuldig said quietly.

It was awkward as Hell, but he simply wrapped his arms around Ran and relaxed against him. He fell asleep again while the kitten was stroking his hair.

His alarm woke them up.

“You well enough to go to work?” Ran asked.

It took a few moments to figure out that, yes, he was. “I'm gonna call in sick,” he said anyway and grabbed his phone to make the annoying beeping stop.

Ran left him to it. Predictably he got an answering machine, so he told whoever would later check that he was sick and would be back next week. The bruises would have faded and he could feed them a story about having had a bad case of the flu. And fuck the Japanese custom of apologizing for being sick. Schuldig did not apologize if he stood to gain nothing from it.

He got up and went to the kitchen. He had slept, now he was hungry, and Ran always cooked in the mornings.

When Ran got out of the shower he got in. His head was full of cotton and he felt achy and sore and once he was awake enough to feel it he really needed to use the toilet.

There was food on the stove when he eventually got into the kitchen, but Ran was waiting with the med kit by the table. Schuldig groaned, but allowed the Kitten to paw at him until his wounds were all treated and bandaged. It wasn't strictly necessary to fuss so much over such minor wounds.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Hibiki had friends from one of his college classes over, so Ran went out as soon as he could. He didn't like discussing laws. While he knew a lot about the laws of Japan, he knew them for all the wrong reasons. It made him feel uncomfortable sitting with people his own age or older who had never even seen a dead person discussing how to prosecute criminals.

People who had never slipped out of a pair of handcuffs, never gotten shot at, never had to hide a dead body. They were _his_ age. He felt detached from age in and of itself, but even more so when he compared himself to the innocent ideals of civilians.

He turned left on the sidewalk outside the apartment building and started walking aimlessly.

He hadn't seen the telepath in a while.

“Thinking of me?” Schuldig was suddenly waiting for him just ahead.

“Yes,” Ran admitted. There wasn't much of a point to lie to someone who could tell straight away. He much preferred to give people the silent treatment instead of telling lies anyway, that way he didn't have to keep track of complex stories. Maybe he had some innocent ideals left.

“Where are you going?” Schuldig asked. “Can we talk?”

Ran shrugged as an answer and kept walking. Schuldig walked next to him. “Talk about what?”

“Stuff. Work sucks,” Schuldig said casually. It was a common enough ting for him to complain about.

“Why not get a new one, then?”

“Gonna get fired anyway. They're planning cutbacks and I'm a foreigner with no family to support.”

“Unlike your half-blood buddy you look foreign too.”

“You mean Brad?” Schuldig snorted. “He's not half. I think his grandmother or some such was... something.”

“Something.”

“Mm. Something. He usually just talk about personal things when he's drunk, and if he's drunk I'm similarly indisposed.”

“Isn't that bad for your, whatever.”

“It's not good for me, but neither was working in the security business.”

“Night shift can be kind of hazardous.”

Schuldig scoffed. “The clients are worse than the pests they want taken out. Not to mention Brad.”

“Why keep at it?”

“I'm good at it.” Schuldig chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.

“You know you zone out sometimes?” Ran asked when the foreigner had been quiet for several minutes.

Shuldig shrugged. “I have a lot going on in my head,” he grinned.

Ran rolled his eyes, but it was almost amusing.

Schuldig grabbed his arm and led him into an alley and then to a small park. When Schuldig went to stand in front of him and cupped his face like he had at the bar, Ran didn't object to being kissed again.

 

* * *

 

Ran drove Hibiki to the airport when Yawen arrived from China. She was a small, slightly chubby girl who looked more Korean than Chinese. She was very energetic and asked a million questions while he drove the lovebirds home.

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

Aya had wanted to take a short trip and Ran had gone with her. He would be back today. Later today.

The traffic from down below was a distant murmur. It should lull him to sleep, but it didn't.

He had touched the link so much he was sure it was thicker than it had any right to be. Ran had called and asked how he was when he had been obvious enough.

Schuldig frowned into the dark. Was he pathetic, or what? “Probably,” he answered himself. He got out of bed, put on some comfortable clothes and went to the gym. No point in lying in bed if he wasn't getting any sleep anyway.

A thorough exercise, four coffees and half a toast later and it was almost time for Ran to be back. Schuldig had cleaning duty that week, but he had already cleaned twice yesterday because he was bored.

Schuldig played with the uneaten half of his toast. He could see the door from the place by the kitchen table he had chosen. He sighed and cleared his toast away. There wasn't much to tidy up in the kitchen, but he did it anyway. Then he went into the living room to annoy Hibiki, but found he didn't even need to start. Hibiki turned to him with a scowl that had been in place for days.

“Is he not back yet?” Hibiki asked before promptly burying his nose in a thick textbook.

“What, I can't spend time with you?” Schuldig grinned. So maybe he had tormented his surroundings a little more than normal. He got comfortable on the couch and started surfing through the channels until the door opened. He paused briefly to say a casual hello, then kept it up while Ran put his stuff away.

“Gonna act all cool now, huh,” Hibiki mocked when Ran came into the room.

Schuldig stuck his tongue out.

“Come on,” Ran said, “we're gonna go out for a bit.”

Schuldig tossed the remote to Hibiki and grabbed his keys and wallet on the way out. Ran smelled different. Like fresh air.

“Did you have a good trip?” Schuldig asked in the elevator.

Ran smiled at him. “Yeah. You didn't have a good time while I was gone though.”

He shrugged. “So?”

“Hibiki texted and told me you were insufferable,” Ran said. “So we're going out to eat and the next time you're coming with me. He may just smother you in your sleep otherwise.”

“I was only slightly annoying,” Schuldig argued in his own defense.

Ran laughed quietly, it was just as the elevator arrived at the ground floor. “Any particular type of food you want?”

“Is this a date?” Schuldig finally realized it was.

“Yes.”

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Schuldig played with a strand of his hair. He had had it orange for so long that seeing it in another color made him feel strange. Bolder, almost. He had his head on Ran's lap and one leg over the back of the couch.

“You're actually gonna keep that color?” Hibiki asked.

Schuldig smirked. “I like standing out.”

It hadn't been planned. Ran had gone and dyed his a dark blackish blue last week. He had cut it differently too. It set his eyes off even more. It was cute. Ish.

“You glow in the dark,” Ran pointed out. His nose was still in his book. He had wanted Schuldig to keep the orange, but they had both needed change. That chapter was over, it was time to move on.

“I had a darker green once. Green is nice.”

There was a knock on the door, which Hibiki ran off to answer. Ran stroked his cheek once they were alone. Schuldig smiled. He was bored, but he was happy to just lay down and soak up some of Ran's feelings. It was strange. It was nice.

Kudou walked in with Hibiki. They both took seats in the couch opposite to the one he and Ran occupied.

Schuldig noticed Ran's hand slide to his chest before the other two noticed, but it didn't move away.

“So, the mystery roommate turns out to be a foreigner,” Youji commented. “I'm Kudou Youji.”

Ran told him over the link that Ken had gotten so drunk he had forgotten he had met Schuldig. “Wilhelm Kranz,” he introduced himself with a casual smile.

“So, what are you doing in Japan?”

“Looking for a new job,” he shrugged. Hibiki was looking content that things were going well. “Got sacked twice.”

Youji looked sympathetic. “ _How can he not recognize me?_ ” he sent to Ran.

“ _He's not an idiot_ ,” Ran cautiously returned.

“Ayan,” Youji complained, “you were never this friendly before.”

“Maybe he doesn't like you Kudou?” Schuldig suggested.

Youji grasped at his heart and made a show out of looking hurt.

“I'm glad you're taking this so well, Youji,” Hibiki beamed. “Ken almost punched him! And Wilhelm is so nice.”

“Ken almost punched him? Why? He said he was too drunk to remember anything from that night.”

Hibiki sighed and walked to the bathroom. “Some florist thing, I think,” he said over his shoulder.

Youji turned questioning eyes to Ran.

Youji stared at him, and when his eyes narrowed Schuldig felt his smirk widen. “What did you do to Aya?”

“If you are implying that I have brainwashed him, I must disappoint you.”

Youji huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ran moved his thumb over Schuldig's cheek and Youji's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Trust Ran to say everything in a subtle gesture. They complained he was quiet, but that was because they never listened.

“How long have you two had a fling?”

“A week or two,” Ran answered disinterestedly.

“You couldn't have picked someone better? I know you're emotionally handicapped, but come on!”

Schuldig glared at the older man. “You're one to talk.”

“Ayan, you're just going to get your heart broken.”

“Yeah, probably,” Ran deadpanned.

 

 


End file.
